Eight-time All-Star Brittney Griner is signing a one-year deal with Phoenix that will allow the Mercury room to keep building.
As expected, Mercury center Brittney Griner is staying in Phoenix.
Just months after the three-time WNBA champion returned to US soil after being wrongfully detained in Russia for 294 days, Griner is working to get back on the court, putting a nightmarish chapter in her life behind her.
Griner took the next step toward a return this week, officially signing a one-year deal with the Mercury, the only WNBA club she has ever played for.
While it would be unfair to place massive expectations on someone who has been through so much, Griner has proven to be one of the greatest ever. The No. 1 pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft has two WNBA scoring titles, two defensive player of the year awards, a championship ring, and is the WNBA’s all-time leader in blocks. She has also recorded more dunks in the regular season than the rest of the league combined. In its entire history.
“We missed BG every day that she was gone and, while basketball was not our primary concern, her presence on the floor, in our locker room, around our organization, and within our community was greatly missed,” Mercury general manager Jim Pitman said in a release. “We will continue to use the resources of our organization to support her, on and off the floor, and we are thrilled for her that she gets to return to basketball, which she loves so dearly.”
Now that the ink is dry, how much exactly is Phoenix paying its superstar post player? Boardroom dives into the Brittney Griner contract and salary with the Mercury.
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Brittney Griner Contract and Salary Details
Years: 1
Salary: $165,100
Free Agency: 2024
It’s important to note that the Mercury didn’t pick Griner’s salary number out of thin air. As Richard Cohen of Her Hoop Stats points out, the $165,100 gives Phoenix the ability to bring on two more players at the veteran minimum and another two at the base minimum.
Phoenix went 15-21 last year, but it’s important to note that not only was Griner absent, but Diana Taurasi and Skylar Diggins-Smith both missed the end of the season. In addition, the Tina Charles signing didn’t go as planned and she played only 16 games with Phoenix last season.
The Mercury don’t project to be at the top of the league in 2023, but the chance to run it back one more time with BG and DT together was just too good to pass up.
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